Say hello to…
…the Peugeot 208, or more precisely, the e208, where the ‘e’ designates this supermini as a battery electric car.
Electric drive comes in the form of a 50kWh battery feeding a 136hp motor powering the front wheels. The result is an official range of 225 miles and a nippy 0-62mph time of 8.1 seconds.
The e208 shares its electric underpinnings with a host of cars from the Stellantis group including the Vauxhall Corsa.
Peugeot offers the 208 in four trim levels:
- Active Premium
- Allure Premium
- GT
- GT Premium
Standard equipment on the Active Premium cars includes cruise control and speed limiter, lane keeping assist, 7-inch touchscreen, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, Bluetooth, Apple Carplay, Android Auto, 16-inch alloys, aircon, power folding door mirrors, rear parking sensors, 3.5-inch dashboard screen, leather-wrapped steering wheel, LED headlights, 3 USB sockets and 1 USB-C socket.
Allure Premium adds satnav, head-up instrument panel, colour reversing camera, front central arm rest and better interior trim.
GT adds a 10-inch touchscreen, 17-inch alloys, blind spot monitor, contrast seat stitching, auto headlights and GT trim and body kit.
GT Premium adds keyless entry and push-button start, adaptive cruise control and upgraded seats.
Is The Peugeot 208 Suitable For My Fleet
Peugeot is playing a very strong game with the styling for the latest 208. With this being one of the key factors in determining demand, particularly in the used car market, residuals should be strong. Being electric the tax position is also highly attractive with a Class 1A NIC rate of just £6.58 a month, according to Gensen Reports, and a benefit-in-kind tax for a 20% PAYE employee of just £11 a month.
The official range is decent at 225 miles, and in warm weather we saw an average of 4.2 miles per kWh which would equate to a range of 189 miles from the e208’s 45kWh usable battery. However, on a motorway run we saw this drop to 3.6m/kWh or a range of 162 miles. In cold weather this is likely to be even worse.
Leasing A Peugeot 208
With an initial three-month deposit on a 36-month contract, Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the Peugeot e208 for less than £486 a month on a 10,000 miles a year basis. According to Gensen Reports, maintenance costs are low too at £23 a month after VAT recovery and tax relief.
Driving A Peugeot 208
Peugeot’s dashboard design, which it calls i-Cockpit, dominates initial impressions when you first sit in the 208. The layout of the instruments and controls are visually impressive with nothing else in this sector doing such a good job of grabbing your attention with 3D graphics and the main instrument cluster sitting above the steering wheel.
This design has both good and bad aspects. Yes, it looks amazing and for the most part the resolution of the digital display is very good. However, to see the display well, you need to have the steering wheel set low and for taller drivers that can mean it feels tight to your legs.
The central portion of the dashboard also looks impressive with both toggle and touch sensitive switches. They’re not that logically laid out, but you get used to them quickly. Worse is the slow to respond central touchscreen, but it on higher spec cars is does include everything you’d want from satnav to Apple Carplay.
The i-Cockpit also provides an impression of quality that’s above the norm in this sector. However, on our car two of the frosted metallic blue badges on the exterior were starting to peel which detracted from the experience.
The interior design also means you sit wonderfully low in the car – something that many electric cars don’t allow as the floor often contains the battery pack.
Sitting low helps provide a fun driving experience. Couple this to the instant shove from the electric motor and while it’s not quite hot-hatch territory, it is nippy and the overall experience is one that can put a smile you your face.
Peugeot offers three different drive modes – eco, normal and sport – but in reality the default ‘normal’ is a great all-round setting and there’s little incentive to use the other two modes. While there is a higher brake energy regeneration mode too, this still doesn’t allow for one-pedal driving.
In keeping with the fun character the suspension is set this way too, which is well judged but can thump over uneven road surfaces. However, the seats are supportive and comfortable.
If there’s a weakness to the way the e208 drives it’s the modulation of the brake pedal when it transitions from regeneration to physical braking which makes judging a soft stop tricky.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Peugeot 208
An appealing all-electric supermini that’s fun to drive, if you can live with the sub-200 mile range.
Peugeot 208
- Model: e208 GT Premium
- Power: 136 hp
- Torque: 300Nm
- Max speed: 93mph
- 0-62mph: 8.1 s
- Official range: 225 miles
- Test range: 189 miles
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 2%
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Why not join the conversation on SME fleets – visit our LinkedIn SME Fleet Discussion page